Quickest and Easiest World Book Day costumes

Quickest and easiest World Book Day costumes

Need a costume for your little one's World Book Day celebrations at school? Most can be rustled up with a little imagination and sellotape, so no need to spend on something they'll grow out of by next year!

Readymade costumes are usually a go-to in order to save time, so we've pulled together some easy-peasy homemade ideas that will save you the time and the money. Largely made from 'day-to-day' clothes, hopefully you'll already have these bits around the home somewhere! And as most readymade costumes are made largely from plastic, skipping them is a more sustainable choice too.

But before you even bother making a new costume, could last year's Halloween costume be used in some way? E.g. a witch costume could be used for any fictional witches like in 'Room on the Broom', Roald Dahl's 'Witches', 'The Worst Witch'...

And then here are our other easy wins.

These tips are part of something bigger. At Hubbub, we want to see a world where everyone makes choices that are good for the environment. Check out what we do and how your actions add up.

1) Matilda

All you need for the marvellous Matilda is a dress (ideally blue) and a ribbon in the hair (ideally red). If she's holding a pile of books, even better.

2) Harry Potter

No need for magic spells, transform into a wizard with this easy and super cheap tutorial for turning big t-shirts into wizards’ robes and see the magic come to life. A scar drawn on the forehead or fake round glasses could be the finishing touch.

3) Diary of a Wimpy Kid

Greg Heffley? Easy peasy. Simply dress in a plain t shirt, shorts, trainers and backpack, then print out a picture of Greg's illustrated face to make a mask (backing it on cardboard from a cereal box or something will help keep it sturdy).

4) Harry and his bucket full of dinosaurs

You guessed it! Normal clothes, and a little bucket full of plastic dinosaurs. Works perfectly if your child's toy collection already includes these.

5) Goldilocks and the 3 bears

Saved by the toy box again? Any dress will do, paired with 3 teddy bears, or a (make-believe) bowl of porridge.

6) Horrid Henry and Perfect Peter

Ah, the pleasure of fictional children that just dress like, well, children. All you need for Horrid Henry is jeans, a blue jumper (you can add the yellow stripes with some strips of card if you want to), and messy hair. A piece of paper printed with the purple hand gang flag and taped on a stick could finish off the look.

Perfect peter, of course comes in grey trousers, a white shirt and red jumper. For some, this might be practically their school uniform already! Have a copy of a Horrid Henry book in their hand for quicker ID. Works great alone, or especially with siblings who want to dress as a pair to be more recognisable.